[WWII - Top Secret Okinawa Screening and Patrol Plans] Top Secret: Screening Plan Able, Preferred Landing Plan. Enclosure (A) to Appendix II to Annex (K) to Comphibpac Op Plan A1-45

Anonymous

Edité par Anonymous, 1945

A propos de cet article

Top Secret Naval Screening Plans and Manuscript Operational Overlay for the Invasion of Okinawa Operation IcebergExceptional assemblage of 6 classified U.S. naval operational maps prepared for Operation Iceberg, the in. Top Secret Naval Screening Plans and Manuscript Operational Overlay for the Invasion of Okinawa Operation IcebergExceptional assemblage of 6 classified U.S. naval operational maps prepared for Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa, including five maps boldly marked in red ink TOP SECRET and titled as follows: Screening Plan Able, Screening Plan Baker, Screening Plan Charlie, Screening Plan Dog, and Screening Plan Easy. Each is identified as a Preferred Landing Plan and sets forth one of a series of alternative defensive screening arrangements for the immense Allied invasion fleet concentrated off Okinawa. Screening Plan Able, for example, is designated Enclosure (A) to Appendix II to Annex (K) to ComPhibPac Op Plan A1-45, directly connecting the sheet with the formal amphibious operations plan for the assault. There is also color-printed map, Okinawa Gunto: Situation Map as of 12 May 1945, and a manuscript overlay tracing for Screening Plan Charlie.These maps are highly specialized tactical screening diagrams, translating the naval defense of the invasion force into graphic form. They delineate screening sectors, vessel stations, radar-picket positions, killer-group stations, and other components of the protective cordon, with positions fixed by precise ranges and bearings from common reference points. The plans illustrate the extraordinary complexity required to protect the transports, landing craft, bombardment ships, carriers, and supporting vessels assembled around Okinawa from Japanese air, surface, and small-craft attack.The color-printed SECRET map, Okinawa Gunto: Situation Map as of 12 May 1945, L + 41, records the campaign six weeks after the initial landings. Areas occupied or patrolled by American forces and those remaining under Japanese control are differentiated by color. A striking printed warning on this map reads: Snipers and isolated pockets may be found throughout the northern part of Okinawa Shima. Some of the smaller islands have been cleared of all Japs but suspicious activity should be investigated since they are patrolled infrequently. The presence of the Okinawa Gunto situation map extends the operational scope of the present grouping from the planning and assault stages into the continuing battle for control of the island.Of particular interest is a large manuscript operational overlay on translucent tracing paper, apparently a working plotting sheet for Screening Plan Charlie. The lightly drawn sheet traces the coastline of Okinawa and surrounding islands, while a much heavier polygonal line offshore is divided into a succession of positions forming a half circle off the west coast of Okinawa from Naha to Point Bolo (Cape Zampa). The half circle is designated with C-numbers, including C-23, C-24, C-25, C-26, C-27, C-28, C-29, and C-30. The use of the C prefix strongly links the drawing to the accompanying Screening Plan Charlie, just as other finished screening plans employ their corresponding lettered station systems. The nature of the tracing sheet and surviving tape remnants at several corners strongly suggest that it functioned as a working plotting overlay, laid over a larger base chart to plot, transfer, compare, or revise the disposition of screening vessels. As such, it provides unusual physical evidence of the cartographic planning process behind the finished TOP SECRET operational diagrams. While it cannot be determined whether the sheet preceded the finished Charlie plan, it stands to reason that its retention in the present context means .

N° de réf. du vendeur 121750

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: [WWII - Top Secret Okinawa Screening and Patrol Plans] Top Secret: Screening Plan Able, Preferred Landing Plan. Enclosure (A) to Appendix II to Annex (K) to Comphibpac Op Plan A1-45
• Éditeur: Anonymous
• Date de parution: 1945
• Reliure: Hardcover
• État de l'article: good
• Type de livre: Book
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Antique Maps